May 7: Touring (a Bit) Around Can Tho City

On that second to the last day of my stay in Vietnam, I finally managed to get up early. Before going to work, Mon went with me to that bridge.


A very foggy morning


You won't fail to find people on bicycles and motorcycles

When I was alone again walking around the place, I finally managed to take of photo of the pagoda along Hai Ba Trung.



Despite lacking the funds to take a boat ride along the river, I still talked with locals trying to make me avail of their boat services. They were really nice, but I was a bad tourist passing off as someone interested in their services.


He was one of my victims, who even desperately called what I presumed was his boss, or at least someone who could understand and speak English.


I like her! So cheerful, so nice, and so persistent on making me avail of a boat ride. I felt bad for making her hopeful. I tried to send the message that I really won't be spending money on that boat ride. But she was so persistent!

For lunch, I again went to Mekong restaurant where I had the goat curry, and again met friendly locals who told me about Filipinos (from the Philippine) who would go there to buy beer during Sundays.


The friendly one


The friendlier one

Going to the war museum, I met these young kids who were willing (and actually volunteered) to have their pictures taken. What were their names again?





After visiting the museum, I then met this Vietnamese.


He could speak good English

Looking back, it was great to have met and talked with them. Because of them, my Vietnam trip became more meaningful. :)

Now, more snapshots around the town (or city):


The riverside park


The river


The restaurant beside the riverside park


A lady on a bicycle holding a tray on the street viewed from the restaurant beside the riverside park


Khi Den Do, where across the street you could find a bookstore with relatively inexpensive books (compared with books sold in the Philippines) but written in Vietnamese so I could not buy them even if I wanted to


Pham Hong Thai and Ly Thuong Kiet, some streets I walked through to go to the restaurant with free wi-fi to have my late snack


Again, a cute presentation of a shake...


...to accompany a serving of seafood noodle dish

And for dinner, KFC, with Mon...


...where their chicken meal comes with sliced tomatoes as side dish...


...and where there is a salad, albeit not a satisfying one.

:)

May 6-7: The War Museum

After visiting Can Tho Museum, I walked further down the road to go to the war museum. Along the way, I passed by this:


...a shot of Ninh Kieu 2 Hotel against a rare sunny sky as a background.

So finally, the war museum, whose "English" name I actually forgot after a year of visiting.



What can you see there? Of course, lots of war stuff - guns, ammunitions, sky craft, etc.





But then, I went at a rather untimely hour as they were closing for what I supposed as a lunch break. I was going through the second floor when I heard a very lovely sound of humming. Then I was told I could come back at about 3:00 in the afternoon. Or was it 2:00?

Off I went to the nearby cafe by the supermarket to enjoy an icy cold mint tea. The mint tea at that expensive restaurant, which came free by the way, was definitely better. Have I already mentioned that iced tea (the real tea with ice, not the sugary sweet iced tea commonly known) is their water?




May 7, 2009

The following day, I went to finish touring around that war museum. Aside from the ammunitions, you can see him:



I can't resist posting those other stuff:



And this photo of lady soldiers:


And this sort of glass art or wall mural (what do you call these kind of art, anyway?):


Most of all, I'm proud and fond of this photograph with a friendly Vietnamese who made me feel welcome, taken by another friendly (male) Vietnamese with the lovely voice. Of course, I wish I could remember their names.



And so, this was how it looked like then on the afternoon of May 7, 2009...



:)

May 5: Walk in the Park

It rained in the afternoon. But when the sky cleared up hours later, I took the chance to go to Lưu Hữu Phước Park walking along the street of Châu Văn Liêm (Nguyễn An Ninh just at the other side).

I've then noticed that in wide streets where there were islands, they tend to name the streets differently for each direction (i.e., Châu Văn Liêm for the east bound lane, Nguyễn An Ninh for the west bound lane). It got me confused for a few seconds, but figured it out anyway.



I ate a Celano chocolate-vanilla flavored drumstick ice cream in that cafe. The seller did not know how to tell the price in English, though, and had to call someone else to tell me how much it was. VND 10.000. Or was it VND 13.000? Couldn't recall, really.

While I was enjoying my ice cream, I watched a group of men play sipa. I don't know how they call that game, but I know of it as sipa. They're really good. Great. Awesome. Amazing. And these were not so young men.



When a few of them sat down, and when I was about to explore the park (it was a small park, I later found out), somebody called me, "emoy" (I was told earlier that this is how they call younger people). So I looked. He instructed (signaled) me to take a picture of the men who were playing.

I agreed, without them knowing yet that I could not really understand what they said. Though I knew I wouldn't be able to take a good shot - it was twilight and my lens just could not handle it, plus the fast movement of the players. I tried. Then told them that I couldn't take a decent shot.

So they learned that I was a foreigner. From the Philippine(s). They still persuaded me to take a shot, and pointed the person whom they call "Superman" (young compared to the rest of the group, so probably a better player than them).

They offered me water, but it was really a tea with lots of ice. I declined. They may be nice, but they were men and it was getting dark and I could not really understand them. Taking this chance of another close encounter with the locals, I asked for a photo.

Instead of me taking their picture, the guy they call Superman offered to take the shot so I could join the group. While I hesitated to give him my camera, I agreed.



Then I took a photo of the group. Weird, not all of them looked.



So then I took snapshots in the park.







Then a pagoda...



...and a shot of Ninh Kieu Hotel 2...



...all along Hoa Binh.



When I got back near the riverside near Ninh Kieu Park along Hai Ba Trung, there was this group of motorcycles, este people watching a screenplay (what do you call that thing?)



Then again a snapshot of this...



...at night, with a pair of lovers in that bench.

To top it off, here's a night shot of the ancient market.